Christmas Disneyland Vacation!

Have I mentioned to you guys yet how much I LOVE Christmas ? No? Well now I have. I love, LOVE the holidays. However, sometimes the holidays have me feeling nostalgic for my youth. I long for the days of winter breaks, spent baking cookies and watching holiday movies. My favorite memories are of my parents and I driving around the neighborhoods looking at Christmas lights on all the houses. The older I get, the harder it is to get into the right Christmas mood. And the best thing to have you feeling like a kid again is a trip to the happiest place on earth! And that’s exactly what we did.

We booked our trip a few months ago, and planned to go with some of my family. We booked our room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Orange County, which was just .8 miles from the park, and had a shuttle that came every half hour. It even kept running an hour after the park closed, in case you needed just a little bit more time in the park for some extra shopping (;

Honestly, we could have walked to the park if we had wanted too, but we were on vacation and we decided to indulge in all the accommodations. The shuttle was 6$ per adult for the entire day. It was definitely worth saving the money on parking at Disneyland.

We even took it up a notch, we are officially season pass holders! This is a first for Brandon and I, and by the looks of it, it was definitely money well spent. We already have 2 more trips planned throughout the year! Even just one more trip makes getting the pass worth it! By the way, how cute are these pass holders I had got for us before the trip. I found them online at new chic. Such a steal! It was so convenient to just have our passes right there and our credit cards and I.D’s, instead of digging them out each time! A huge benefit of the passes is the 10% discount you get off merchandise inside the park!

We had never been to the park during Christmas time, and let me tell you, it is now my new favorite time. Everything is covered in decorations. From the front gates to the castle, snowflakes, garlands, and ornaments galore. It’s breathtaking. So many beautiful photo opportunities, we took full advantage!

There are decorations galore throughout the resort. Our special favorite is the beautifully decorated 60-foot Christmas tree that greets you as you enter Town Square. Make sure you see “it’s a small world” after dark decorated with 250,000 sparkling lights.

Haunted Mansion Holiday continues as Jack Skellington, or Sandy Claws, and his friends have taken over in this seasonal makeover of the New Orleans Square attraction. Don’t miss the sight (and smell!) of the giant gingerbread house in the ballroom scene. And don’t forget to get a FastPass early in the day.

Of course the rides are great but let’s talk about all the fabulous treats to eat that you find around the park. You really can’t make a bad choice, but there are so many choices! How does one even choose what to pick? It’s peak season for yummy treats around Christmas time. I can only handle so many sugary and salted treats but I definitely indulged in a salted pretzel because quite frankly it was super cute to eat, and super tasty! Brandon and I shared a Mickey Mouse rice krispie treat. If Christmas had a flavor this would be it. The rice krispie treat was glazed in gingerbread icing with peppermint ears. DELICIOUS!

( I seriously couldn’t get enough of the mouse shaped treats!)

We rode so many rides! We managed to get on every single one, except Toon Town, which is Brandon’s favorite. Next time! My favorites have to be Space Mountain, and of course the teacups. I went on the teacups twice in a row. (I immediately was in regret once I got off after the second go around) Especially after that pretzel, but it was so worth it! We took so many amazing photos, including a little photo-op with the beautiful Minnie Mouse. It was one of those days that you wanted to last forever.

And of course, we couldn’t leave the park with out the traditional picture in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle! Brandon and I talked about this trip since we met 3 years ago, and I am so happy we were able to make it there this year and I am so glad I am able to share these memories with all of you! My advice: If you’ve been wanting to do something for years, take a trip, try a new restaurant, whatever it may be. DO IT. Make the sacrifices for a few months if you need to save money, it is SO worth it. The memories and photos are something that you will have forever.